Garment-stay.



H. S. BREWINGTON.

GARMENT STAY.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1912.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

r error HENRY S. BREWINGTON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

GARMENT-STAY.

Application filed January 12, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. Bnnwina TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Stays, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stays or stiffeners for garments, such as corsets and the like, and has for its object to provide a strong, durable and inexpensive stay or stiffener which is light in weight and capable of yielding or being flexed in every direction, and at the same time possessing suflicient rigidity or stiffness to a garment with which it is supplied to fit or he smoothly and gracefully and support the person of the wearer, and which may be readily applied and secured in place.

To these ends the invention resides in the peculiar manner of bending a continuous single wire for the production of a stay of the aforesaid character as will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which is illustrated an embodiment of the invention, and in which like numerals are used to designate the same parts throughout the several views; Figure 1 is an enlarged view in side elevation of a portion of the wire stay constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view of the stay as shown in Fig. 1 flexed at one of its sides, and Fig. at is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a slightly modified form.

Reference being had to the drawings, 1 denotes the continuous wire of which the stay or stiffener is constructed, which is composed of suitable metal such as spring steel which is usually employed for the purpose.

To provide the stay or stiffener it is obvious that the continuous single wire 1 of which the stay or stiffener is constructed is fed through and subjected to the action of a suitably designed bending machine or devices by which the said wire is formed into uniform loops which are preferably of a circular shape as indicated at 22. The loops being arranged in two substantially parallel rows extending throughout the length of the stay, the whole taking the form of a flattened strip, presenting, substantially Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9,1913.

Serial No. 670,753.

a rectangular section, each successive loop being formed alternately on opposite sides of the center of the width of the stay, and each successive loop formed on each respective side, being in close staggered relation to that of the preceding loop formed on the other as indicated at 3 and i respectively. The portions 5 of the wire connecting each consecutive loop are formed and disposed in Zigzag relation thereto, and extend from the front sides of the loops in one row to the rear sides of the loops in the opposite row and contact with each other, this relation existing throughout the entire length of the stay, and of such a uniform character that the edge of each adjacent loop on each respective side of the stay overlaps that of the adjacent loop above it as indicated at 6 and 7 respectively. This construction being such that when the stay is flexed longitudinally, the lapped edges of the loops are brought into close and intimate frictional contact, so that in order to flex the stay in the plane in which the stay lies will require sufficient force to overcome the resistance offered by the frictional contact of the loops in addition to that afforded by the peculiar construction and resiliency of the wire, and to flex the stay edgewise or to one side or the other, the resiliency afforded by the construction of the loops and by reason of their formation in staggered relation to each other, and the zigzag connections 5, con necting each consecutive loop, being such as to distribute the strain on the stay to a substantial portion of its length, and not confine the strain to any one of the loops when the stay is flexed to either side, whereby the stay is rendered sufficiently stiff and rigid and at the same time pliant or flexible in every direction to yield and accommodate itself to the movements of the wearer, and readily return to its normal shape as soon as it is relieved from the strain.

In Fig. 4: I have shown a slightly modified form of construction, the wire 1 being formed into loops indicated 10, then wound around the wire 1 as indicated at 12, thence extended as indicated at 11 and formed into a similar loop on the opposite side, this construction has been found to afford rigidity and stiffness where the loops are not constructed in as close relation as those shown in the preferred form in Fig. 1, it being understood that this construction may also be used also Where the loops are formed in close relation where an additional amount of rigidity and strength is required.

The usual metallic tip indicated 8 in Fig. 1 is attached to the ends of the stay if de sired to protect the garment from contact with the end of the Wire.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A garment stay, comprising a single continuous wire bent at intervals to form a series of uniformly shaped, single coil, overlapping loops arranged in two substantially close parallel rows, said loops being consecutively formed on opposite sides of the stay, in staggered relation to each other, and joined together with contacting zigzag extending connections which connect the front sides of one row to the rear sides of the opposite row of loops, said connections being made at the sides of the loops nearest the center of the stay, whereby a central bodyportion is provided formed of connections of equal length bearing against each other.

2. A garment stay, comprising a single continuous Wire bent at intervals to form a central body-portion and a plurality of uniformly shaped loops arranged in two substantially parallel rows, each consecutive loop being alternately formed with respect to the sides of the stay, the portion of the wire terminating each loop being wound about the wire, and each consecutive loop being connected by a portion of the Wire bent in zigzag relation to the loops with which it connects as to render the loops on each side of the stay disposed in staggered relation to those formed on the opposite side.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY S. BREXVINGTON.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL W. KIRK, BROWN M. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

